When I switched bikes this year I could have had anything I wanted. I have ridden the new so called tour framed scoots as well as the older evo's and it is a tough choice. Heres where I come in on this.........

The newer bikes have a few issues I cant wrap my brain and wallett around. First of all they come at a pretty penny and they really dont impress me enough frame wise to make me wanna drop the extra coin on. Seccond of all I really do not like fuel injected bikes. Not becase I am anti technology, I do like the mileage they offer, the easy starting etc, however if anything goes wrong on the road your usualy getting a tow, Ill merge this compaint with my next point and thats the computers and the ignitions on these bikes. I have seen many a biker on the side of the road stranded because the bike just shut down. Not for me. I could have got any bike I wanted, I chose a low mileage 97 FLHTC Electra glide classic. The EVO is dependable, buildable and fully customizable.

For me it was the best choice and theres tons of cool aftermarket **** for them. I also love the sound on the EVO......traditional HD loud rumble without having to jump through tons of hoops like pulling off the cats and all the other tuning **** and o2 sensors and etc, etc, etc.

Im not picking on the new bikes theyre good for some folks , and if you like and trust the technology and have money to make them what you want than fine theyre great. I just happen to appreciate the EVO becaause like I said, The EVO is dependable, buidable and fully customizable. Really if power is an issue you can build an EVO to out perform and smoke any stock HD motor up to the 103, since the EVO itself came out it has been a proven workhorse, so dont let power detour you. I love new bikes but I prefer the EVOS and I am sure there as many of the new HD bike owners out there who will tell you as well . Im not hating Im just saying.

 

Fully appreciate what u r saying..I'm taking my time to look for something that can b rebuilt n the Evos sound like what I should b looking for. New cams n a couPle more upgrades seems to b able to put the Evo on par w the twin cams without burning a hole in the pocket. Hope to find something suitable soon.

 

Without a doubt get the evo. Your already on the fence with the color on the new bike. Why not get the old one and make it any color you like. I have an 07 RK and I had two evos hell my brother still runs my old 98 ultra, and that has 70,000 miles on it.

Pro evo propaganda
1. Potato potato 'NUFF said
2. Ease of working on, evo's are nice to work on, not that the twinkie is terrible, but it was way easier as far as clearances are concerned working on an evo.
3. No tuning EFI
4. There's still alot of aftermarket support for evo bikes, and I've yet to go to a dealer and not be able to get a part for an evo bike.
5. Cost savings. Evos are cheaper to build than a twinkie, and you can make more power cheaper. Although once it gets radical the playing field as far as price is concerned levels off.
6. Reliability.
7. You don't read any threads complaining about evos making heat, frying compensators, having weird TBW response, gremlins or anything else.
8. Ask a grey beard about an EVO

Anti Evo
1. Smaller tank, old frame ( you would still have this with the 03) Never ridden the new frame, personally I don't like the looks of the new tank seems too tall
2. 5 speed ( i don't even use 6th most of the time unless I'm doing 80 mph on the highway) baker makes a kit to fix this with drop in parts. Which you can buy with the savings.
3 It's old. I think think it's classic
4. Slower, this there is no argument for but stage for stage a twinkie will own an evo. but that can be fixed with the saving of buying an evo once again.

Okay I'm going to get off of my soap box now.

 

I don't think it's so much an issue of 'better' and 'best', as one of your personal preferences. If you buy the newer bike, you'll get more back selling it, 3 or 4 years down the road...but you'll pay more up front. (The pre-09's versus the 09+, in terms of their relative value, is a whole thread in itself. I won't lead us down that path, here). For every 'plus' for each bike, there are 'minuses'. The 'math' you'll have to do for yourself.

Really, I can only tell you what I did when faced with a similar choice about 1.5 years ago. I didn't consider an 'Evo'. Perhaps I should have, my Indy rides one, and swears by it (though he did recently 'inherit' a Twin Cam and is making that his primary ride).

I elected to purchase a clean 2004 Road King. I liked the bike as well as any I'd seen. And on the financial side, I couldn't afford to buy an 09+ without having a payment (albeit a fairly 'small' one...but still a payment). None of the upgrades...96", 6-speed, updated touring-frame...were enough to overcome my reticence to avoid an additional monthly cost.

Once again, as for resale, it's a crap-shoot. The buyer determines what your bike's worth, based on where their head's at. If your ad (in 5 years) is exposed to a guy who loves late model Evos--the 97 is going to appeal most to him. If your ad is read by a guy who thinks the 09+ frames are shi*-hot--then the 10's going to be the ticket. I'm sorry, but I don't know the calculus (and I suspect no one else does, either) that would allow you to determine which of these three bikes would bring you the relative greatest return on your money in 3...4...5 years. (If anything, I'd bet on the older bikes to be better 'investments', simply because they've already depreciated more when you buy them, and there seems to be a 'bottom end' on Harley tourers at around 5 or 6K, from which they begin to rise again in value as time marches on...)

I'm a simpler (and no doubt poorer) guy than you. I just buy what I can best afford, and ride it without thought of what it'll be worth in tomorrow's world. For me it's like a wife (well, in some ways). I never looked ahead to the next one while I was with the present one. And it wasn't the fanciest one, or the one with the most 'bells and whistles' that I went for. These sorts of things tarnish and wear-out (or wear on you) very quickly. I went with what 'fit' me best. The one I had no doubt about. If you do that...in all things...you probably can't help making the right choice.) Good luck with your choice.

Alan

 

I've owed, and really like the older bikes, "But", it's a No Brainer, ABS Brakes and Electronic (Push Button, one click equals a one MPH increases/decreases in speed) Cruise Control.
I would not own another non ABS, or another mechanically locking throttle controlled street bike (still ride dirt bikes).

 

I commute with mine during the riding season, it has NEVER left me standing on the side of the road, more than I can say for my buddys 10' Streetglide something about limp mode crap. I do all my own maintenance and I do it per the FSM, take care of your machine and it will take of you. If you dont like doing maintenance than a newer bike is the ticket at least it will be under warranty.

 

Just went two weeks and $500 to convert my 98 to carb. I'm done with the modern crap, call me a luddite if you will. Friend of mine has had his TBW crap out 4 times, once was right as he was jumping out from a median into traffic. I'll take steel cables over that any day. I got fed up with EFI, though I had the POS Magneti Marelli system, so I can't talk bad about the newer EFI, but I have no interest in going past the EVO motor. Plenty of parts out there for the late 90's bikes if you look, you can build them up gradually to put out plenty of power, pipes here, filter there, cam here, jugs there, etc.

You'll lay out less up front, leaving you more $$ in hand to customize it how you want it. When I bought mine, I was at my upper end budget wise, had I gone newer, I'd have just had the bike, no money to do anything but put gas in it. Now, some would say that I'd not have needed the money to fix a bunch of things, but I fixed and upgraded at the same time. Now I have a bike that has been put through it's paces, the crap that would fail early has failed and been replaced. For that reason, I don't know if I'd take a new bike if it was given to me (I lie, yes I would) but I get more comfort from a proven ride than a shiny new bike.

Hell, my other scoot is a 59 sporty I'll be rebuilding at some point and I'm shopping for a 60's or 70's rat bike to tune up and run the hell out of.

 

I need a Harley tallest windshield for a 05 Road King. Want a real Harley one, no aftermarket.